The new Regis Philbin and partner of Kelly Ripa is Michael Strahan, former NFL player for the New York Giants.
Ripa was promised a new co-host Sept. 4, nine months after longtime partner Philbin said farewell to the syndicated Live with Regis & Kelly daytime talk show after a 28-year run.
Now an executive familiar with the show's plans confirms Philbin's replacement is Strahan, a star of short-lived Fox sitcom Brothers. The news was first reported by Broadcasting & Cable.
Strahan was one of 59 co-hosts Disney ABC Television Group has tried out over the past several months, some as larks (Neil Patrick Harris) and others as serious candidates, including Saturday Night Live's Seth Meyers, said to have been a finalist despite his denials that he wanted the job.
Strahan, 40, is exactly half Philbin's age, and will keep his current job as co-host of Fox NFL Sunday, commuting to Los Angeles for that weekend gig.
